122 NO STRUGGLE NO SELECTION 



and 1846, and the poverty of the Irish people at the 

 close of this period, as due to the action of the 

 principle of Malthus ; but a knowledge of the facts of 

 the case would show that the truth lies in the con- 

 trary direction. 



In the course of a century and a half the numerical 

 growth of the Irish people far surpassed the growth 

 of any nation in the Old World in a similar period of 

 time. In 1846 the population of Ireland had grown 

 to be not less than eightfold the population in 1690 ; 

 but an abundance of data can be adduced to prove 

 that in 1846 the people were greatly better off than 

 they were in 1690, or, indeed, at any previous period 

 of Irish history. In 1690 the brief dream of Celtic 

 independence and predominance was for ever dispelled, 

 and the serf was returned to his serfdom, his hovel, 

 his bog and his potato patch, and the hand of his 

 Saxon master pressed cruelly and heavily upon him. 

 But the establishment of a settled peace led to the 

 resumption of agricultural industry. 



The history of the 150 years that followed is 

 always a distressful one, and is marked by agrarian 

 outrages and disturbances. But the people began 

 to multiply, and continued to multiply, in an un- 

 exampled manner. At the beginning of the period 

 Ireland was for the most part a waste, uncultivated, 

 unutilised land. But as the result of the settled 

 peace, room was being continuously made for a 

 greater number of inhabitants by reclamation of new 

 soil from the waste, and the extension of cultivation. 



